Returning to the office after the holiday period may find some of our readers stuck in meetings of incredulous lengths, and more often than not you'd rather be getting on with the job instead of dealing with a talkfest. Robert Korn had the same issues and has come up with a creative and fun solution - the Arduino-based meeting cost display.
This unit displays the increasing cost of his time using an LCD - so the longer the meeting, the more it will cost his employer. This could also be used on your desk - when approached by people you'd rather not talk to, start the timer and show them that time is money! Building your own is simple - just add an LCD keypad shield to a Freetronics Eleven or compatible and you're set.
To get started on your own version, check out Robert's project page. And for more, we're on facebook, Google+, and twitter - so follow us for news and product updates as well.
Looking for a rapid-use LCD for your Arduino or compatible development boards such as the example above? Save time and move forward with the Freetronics LCD & Keypad shield which contains a bright 16x2 character LCD and five buttons that can be read from only one analogue input pin:
